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Friday, April 23, 2004
Convocation
rewards
scholars
by Justin Curry
news editor
Studying and participation does pay
off, regardless to popular belief. On
Sunday, scholars and organization
members throughout the college were
rewarded for the efforts during the year
at the 43 rJ annual Honors and Awards
Convocation.
Held in packed Erie Hall, over 200
students were recognized for various
achievements, ranging from club
participation to university-wide
scholarship. Families and friends of the
recipients were present to share in the
celebration.
Four groups of awards were handed
out, Student Life, Athletic, Academic
and Special Services. The awards were
presented by various administration,
with the Student Life Awards being
presented by Director of Student
Affairs, Dr. Ken Miller, the Athletic
Awards being presented by Athletic
Director Brian Streeter, the Academic
Awards being presented by the
department heads of the four schools,
and the Special Service Awards being
presented by Dr. Thomas Wortman, Dr.
Robert Light, Dr. Miller, and Dr. Jack
Burke, Campus Dean and CEO.
The president of Omicron Delta
Kappa, Michael Hargather, EEBD 06,
opened the ceremony with remarks on
the importance of scholarship at the
collegiate level. Following his remarks,
Miller presented the Student Life
Awards, which recognized students
based on club and student activities
involvement. Student Government
President, Scott Soltis, GAS 06, also
presented the SGA President’s award
which was awarded to SGA Treasurer,
Erica Sitter, MKTG/MNGT 06.
Following the Student Life Awards,
Streeter presented members of the
varsity and intramural athletic teams
with awards based on scholarship,
leadership, spirit and outstanding
service. James Curren, MRKTG 08,
who broke the all time scoring record
in January, was awarded the James Frye
[ CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE
The men’s tennis team won the AMCC
Conference Title on Saturday, with an
overall record 14-7. Ryan Deimel re
ceived AMCC Player of the Year and
Matt Meyer received Newcomer of the
Year.
SPORTS, Page 10
Battle of the Bands returns
LEB is once again sponsoring the Battle
of the Bands competition next Friday,
beginning at 2 p.m. in Erie Hall. Head
lining the event will be the Julianna
Theory, and twelve bands will be
competiting for a cash prize.
A&E, Page 8
TABLE OF CONTENTS
News 1-4 Editorial 5
Calendar. 6 Features 7
A&E 8 Sports.... 9-10
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SAF policies face scrutiny
by Daniel J. Stasiewski
managing editor
Dr. Ken Miller can remember a time
when Behrend’s weekend activities
were limited to a board game and
popcorn in the residence hall lobbies.
Since Miller started at the college in
1988, weekend activities have evolved.
As the co-chair of the student activity
fee committee, Miller can tell anyone
that the main reason for the
improvements is the $44 charge on
every Penn State University student’s
last semester bill.
Currently at Behrend, the Lion
Entertainment Board alone is spending
$65,000 of what has become an annual
$300,000 activity trough, with
applications for other funding ranging
from $4 to $98,000, which is LEB’s
current request.
That request will get an response in
the next two weeks as the SAF
committee meets to decide which of the
$460,000 in SAF funding requests will
be cut to fit the requests in the $ 180,000
fall budget.
According to Miller, it’s the students
that direct the committee, as seven
student seats, including one for current
SGA President Scott Soltis, trump the
three administrative positions on the
board.
But not all students see it that way.
“The SAF committee at UP has about
50 students,” said Dave Daquelente,
Executive Director of LEB, who
believes the small number of Behrend
representatives doesn’t provide a large
enough student voice.
“They do have students on the panel,
but it’s much more of an administrative
decision,” said Daquelente.
While the committee is usually filled
with “dedicated” students, Miller knows
that the long hours required in the spring
semester do hamper student
involvement.
“We don’t get a lot of interest,” said
Miller, who noted that students who
might be devoted to such a committee
are already members of the Student
Government Association. The SAF
handbook does not allow SGA members
to sit on the committee, with the
exception of the SGA president’s co
chairmanship.
Miller does hope that one day being
on the committee will be a more
competitive process, even possibly
attaching a ballot for committee
members to the SGA elections.
Daquelente, however, doesn’t see a
need for elections necessarily, but he
does want only the most passionate
students on the committee.
“I think (enthusiasm) is a very serious
and very critical part,” said Daquelente.
Trigo
by Justin Curry
news editor
A sign placed on the door of the
McGarvey Commons Tuesday
evening warned passers-by of the
adult content of the program about to
take place. It suggested that children
under the age of 14 not attend the
‘Safer Sex Cabaret,’ and with good
reason.
The Cabaret, hosted annually by
Trigon, a support group for gays,
lesbians, and transgenders,
highlighted the benefits of safe sex,
as well as suggested variations of
intercourse that can still provide equal
pleasure for couples.
To illustrate the variations, student
volunteers participated in skits and
monologues stating the ins and outs
of safe sex, as well as provided
examples of the maneuvers.
Skits portraying phone sex, cyber
sex, the dangers of unsafe sex, the
importance of lubricants during anal
sex, how to properly use male and
female condoms, as well as dental
dams, and a monologue on
masturbation were all a part of the
event.
A Penn State Erie Student Publication
“It’s important to take seriously.”
Olga Nacalaban, vice-president of the
Multi-Cultural Council, however, sees
student input on the committee as part of
the application process.
Nacalaban remembers when students
were allowed to actually go to the SAF
committee meetings and potentially affect
the outcome of the decision.
“I don’t know why the student input
has been changed to not having students,”
said Nacalaban.
SGA President Scott Soltis, however,
confirmed that student were still allowed
to take part in the committee meetings.
At the major fall allocation, students
can be called in by the committee to
explain their proposal. During the spring
allocations, student came come to the
meetings as they happen. Soltis said the
only time students are not allowed in the
meetings is when the board actually
makes their decision.
Student ownership
The student activity fee handbook sets
out a number of guidelines for fee usage,
but the purpose remains clear. The fee is
designed to support out-of-class
activities, and by doing so it will provide
a better overall educational experience.
Miller remembers a time, before the
creation of SAF, when the now annual
Speaker Series was cut due to a lack of
funding.
But like much of the funding that is
approved from the SAF committee, the
Speaker Series is not an event requested
by the students.
Chris Rizzo, director of student
activities, was the author of the $50,000
proposal, which was approved for the
2003-2004 school year. Rizzo does seek
student input before making the decision
on the who the speaker’s will be.
The host for the evening was Abbey
Atkinson, an alum and past President
of Trigon, who interjected comedy in
between the skits and during the
SAF Funding 2002-2004
Band on total number of proposals
□ Urrfwded Staff
■Parttaly Functod
Staff Requests
11%
■ My Funded
Requests
15%
a Fuiy Funded
Student Request
12%
□ Unfunded Student
Requests
2896
Source: SAF Allocation Records
However, student proposals between
2002 and 2004 have gone unfunded 45
percent of the time, compared to a 27
percent-unfunded rate for faculty/staff
proposals.
Though students have put twice the
number of proposals as faculty/staff
members, close inspection of the
unfunded proposals results in a clear
answer to why students do not get the
money they want for events. Student
proposals lack fundamental requirements
of the SAF committee, such as price
quotes for food, advertising and speakers.
“The key to a very successful SAF
proposal is making sure it’s a well
documented proposal,” said Miller.
Daquelente, whose organization was
turned down for its first Battle of the
Bands competition due to planning
issues, wouldn't mind seeing some help
for students.
“If students are writing incomplete or
insufficient proposals, then that shows
need for (SAF education)," said
Daquelente.
Daquelente said that he does not see a
problem with faculty and staff writing
proposals if they support student
activities. In his work with LEB,
however, Daquelente knows that the
students need to take ownership of
campus activities.
“It’s important that the students get
involved in planning the events, not just
attending them,” said Daquelente.
Student Affairs, in the past, has
attempted to make student proposal
planning easier. Miller said that SAF
proposal-writing workshops were
developed, but were never well attended.
Miller, however, said he has been willing
to look over student SAF proposals
before they are due to ensure it has the
necessary elements.
SAF funds have also been used to
presentation on latex
In between sessions, members of the
audience were quizzed on their
knowledge of STIs and condoms, and
D Partialy Funded
Student Requests
24%
Vol. LI No. 24
provide student leaders with direction
for SAF funding'forms and policies.
Stacey McCoy, manager of the RUB
Information Desk, put in a $750
proposal for “Keys to Event” planning.
The idea is to provide every club
officer who requests an office key with
a key ring attachment that has vital
student event-planning information,
including Web addresses, that will be
seen every time the key is used.
Nacalaban, however, sees a problem
on the committee side, as well. Since
students are not able to attend the SAF
committee meetings, Nacalaban
believes the proposal is the only thing
SAF committee members, specifically
the staff members, ever see of an
organization’s event.
“It’s very hard coming from MCC
and having been to a lot of the 10
organizational events, and I haven’t
seen the people allocating money at the
events,” said Nacalaban.
Slippery Slope?
Recently it was disclosed that
$150,000 of SAF money would be
taken out of the budget over three years
to fund the Back Room renovation
project.
Though SAF funds are only being
used for the organization spaces, Adam
S. Lambert, a lawyer who is familiar
with SAF case law and a contributing
columnist for Campus Activities
magazine, said any use of the funds for
other than direct funding of student
activities is a violation of a 2000
Supreme Court decision.
Lambert cited the Supreme Court
case of Board of Regents of the
University of Wisconsin System v.
Southworth as the precedent for cases
involving student activity fees.
The case revolves around the
Wisconsin student activity fee and it
being used to support partisan political
speech. The Supreme Court ruled that
the University’s mission statement to
promote diversity, which was part of a
state statute creating the university,
would supply the foundation for the
decision. Because the allocating body
had neutral viewpoint, the Court found
in favor the University saying the
promotion of partisan speech for
diversity’s sake was not a violation of
the First Amendment.
Since public or partially public
universities, like Wisconsin or Penn
State University, have their mission
statement written into state statute,
Lambert said violating that mission
statement would also violate the
Southworth decision.
er sex
winners were allowed to pick prizes
from a grab bag.
The Distinguished Iron City Kings
of Pittsburgh also provided
entertainment throughout the
evening, even imitating the
underwear scene from “Risky
Business.”
Trigon President Kara Daniel,
MKTG 06, was pleased with the
overall turnout and success of the
“Aside from some problems with
the microphones,” said Daniel, “I
think the program went well. I think
everyone walked away learning
something they didn’t already know.”
That’s not all they walked away
with. Every person in attendance at
the Cabaret was presented with a gift
bag at the end of the show, containing
condoms, lubricants and a dental
dam, as well as candy, lip gloss, and
other miscellaneous items.
“The Cabaret will be back next
year,” said Daniel, “but I doubt it will
be the same as it was this year. In all
the years we have had the Cabaret, it
has yet to be the same.”